While Rodon won’t start the opener, Boone clarified that the left-hander hasn’t been overlooked for the series. “Carlos will probably throw in Game 3 or 4 for us,” Boone told reporters while detailing the postseason rotation.

Even as Aaron Judge’s status remains uncertain while he continues to progress, Boone has locked in his starting pitching plans for the upcoming clash with Tampa Bay.

The Yankees’ captain voiced his determination to return for the ALDS after sitting out the Wild Card round, eager to make his presence felt in what promises to be a hard-fought series.

Boone confirms Yankees’ ALDS rotation

With Cole anchored for Game 1 and Rodon slated for later in the series, Boone outlined the full rotation through a potential Game 5 decider. Here is how the Yankees‘ ALDS rotation shapes up:

• Game 1: Gerrit Cole (lined up to return on regular rest for Game 4, or Rodon)
• Game 2: Cam Schlittler (expected to start Game 2, and Game 5 if necessary)
• Game 3: Max Fried (or Rodon) on extended rest

Boone added that New York will carry 10 to 12 pitchers on its 26-man postseason roster, leaving zero margin for error as the club prepares to face Tampa Bay. Game 1 is set to be played on October 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Tropicana Field.

Key takeaways

• Manager Aaron Boone named Gerrit Cole as the Game 1 ALDS starter.
• Carlos Rodon is expected to pitch in Game 3 or 4 for New York.
• The team plans to carry 10 to 12 pitchers on its active roster.

“Gerrit’s lined up for that. Carlos is very much in play for that. We have a ton of confidence in both guys,” Boone told reporters following New York’s Wild Card round victory over the Boston Red Sox.

With Game 1 set for October 3, Boone is taking extra time to evaluate the ideal matchup against Tampa Bay. While both starters turned in strong regular-season campaigns, their contrasting pitch profiles offer distinct advantages against the Rays‘ lineup.

As Boone finalizes his game plan, he also addressed captain Aaron Judge’s status, clarifying why the superstar outfielder skipped pregame player introductions at Yankee Stadium while leaving his ALDS availability against Tampa Bay in question.

Who gets the ball for Game 1 against the Rays?

Rodon makes a compelling case based on recent form, having closed out the regular season with a dominant 1.42 ERA across his final September outings—headlined by an eight-inning, three-hit shutout against Tampa Bay on September 22.

Beyond his hot hand down the stretch, his left-handed arsenal provides a tactical advantage against a Rays lineup heavily reliant on left-handed run producers, neutralizing key bats that drive Tampa Bay’s run production.

Conversely, the case for Cole rests on his status as the team’s undisputed ace, backed by extensive big-stage credentials and a career 2.77 ERA across 22 postseason starts. While Cole proved prone to the long ball late in the year, his track record in high-leverage October settings gives the coaching staff full confidence in his ability to anchor the rotation.

Projected Yankees lineup for ALDS Game 1 vs. Rays

While the Game 1 starter remains a toss-up between Rodon and Cole, Boone’s everyday batting order is beginning to take shape ahead of a pivotal series opener.

Here is the Yankees‘ projected lineup for Game 1 against the Rays:

• Trent Grisham — CF (L)
• Paul Goldschmidt — RF (R)
• Cody Bellinger — LF (L)
• Ben Rice — 1B (L)
• Giancarlo Stanton — DH (R)
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. — 2B (L)
• Austin Wells — C (L)
• Ryan McMahon — 3B (L)
• Jose Caballero / Anthony Volpe — SS (R)

Starting pitcher: Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodon

Key takeaways

• Aaron Boone has yet to announce New York’s ALDS Game 1 starting pitcher.
• The series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays is scheduled for October 3.
• Carlos Rodon posted a 1.42 ERA across his final September regular-season outings.

Although the true test will come when the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS next, the way the squad in The Bronx has been assembled clearly didn’t go unnoticed by Cole, who praised Cashman and the Yankees’ brass after the 2-0 series win over the Red Sox.

“You’ve got to go out and buy the tools. The roster looks really good at this point. We’re very competitive, and we have a lot of different ways that we can beat you. A lot of credit goes to a lot of people in this building,” Cole stated, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

NY Yankees’ lineup depth proves decisive

It’s a new day in New York, more specifically in The Bronx. Indeed, the Yankees would love to have Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton back at the plate, but they have figured things out even without those two power bats.

New York is no longer a home-run-dependent creature in the MLB Playoffs. The Yankees are now a depth monster, ready to drown out opponents with lengthy, grueling innings, especially when playing at home at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees’ perfect 6th inning in Game 2

It remains to be seen how this strategy stacks up against the AL East-winning Rays, but it wreaked havoc against the Red Sox. The bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 was Aaron Boone’s team’s magnum opus so far in the postseason. The Yankees made the most of every single thing the Red Sox gave them.

A wild pitch? Spencer Jones would run his way to first. Another bad throw, and he stole two bases, setting up shop at third. From there on, the Yankees’ batters simply kept the base hits coming until it was Cody Bellinger’s turn at the plate.

The Red Sox picked their poison: They intentionally walked Ben Rice to first base. Bellinger needed just one changeup from Garrett Whitlock to decipher the code. On the second pitch, he went yard, calling game in the process as New York jumped to a game-sealing, series-ending 8-1 lead.

NY Yankees are for real in 2026 postseason

It was the perfect demonstration of how the entire lineup can come together to decide postseason games for the Pinstripers. If they could, the Yankees would hang it up on a wall at Yankee Stadium, but they don’t do that in The Bronx.

All they care about is winning the World Series, and this Yankees team, with a different recipe from years past, confirmed it can be a serious contender for the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2026. And that’s even without Judge.

Lastly, Brian Cashman, who’s been through the wringer and at the receiving end of fans’ criticism time and again, deserves credit. It’s still early for victory laps, but Cole’s shoutout to the front office’s work was well deserved.

Key takeaways

• Brian Cashman received praise from Gerrit Cole after New York eliminated Boston.
• The Yankees beat the Red Sox 2-0 in the AL Wild Card series.
• Cody Bellinger hit a game-sealing home run in the sixth inning of Game 2.

However, Cole’s recent surge on the bump has generated plenty of momentum within the organization. When asked whether the veteran righty would take the ball in the Wild Card round, manager Aaron Boone delivered a resolute answer: “I would expect Gerrit Cole to start, yes.”

Boone faces a compelling rotational dilemma, given the standout performances of his depth chart. Max Fried has anchored his share of gems, while breakout starter Cam Schlittler has delivered a dominant campaign, one that Boone firmly believes warrants American League Cy Young honors.

With Aaron Judge sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, the Yankees are relying heavily on their pitching depth to carry the load into October. That group could get another boost with Ryan Weathers tracking toward a postseason return.

Cole’s rollercoaster season

Cole’s season started with immediate frustration before he ever threw an official pitch. Lingering elbow concerns during Spring Training delayed his season debut, forcing him to miss the opening two months of the championship schedule and putting extra stress on the Yankees‘ starting rotation.

Dominant, double-digit strikeout performances—including a 10-strikeout shutout performance over 6.2 innings against Kansas City and multi-hit gems against Chicago and Atlanta—showed he remains one of the most electric arms in baseball.

A recurring issue throughout Cole’s 2026 campaign has been his home run rate. When Cole misses over the plate, opposing hitters have made him pay, elevating his HR/9 rate above his career averages and making several of his outings much more high-stress than his strikeout numbers would indicate.

Cole was showered with boos after surrendering five earned runs and three home runs over just 4.1 innings. The Mets racked up 14 hard-hit balls against the right-hander, underscoring a concerning trend for the former Cy Young winner at a crucial juncture in the regular season.

After missing extended time while working his way back from an elbow injury, Cole has struggled to recapture the dominant form that made him the focal point of the rotation prior to his recovery process.

While Aaron Judge’s return gives the lineup its familiar spark, Cole’s continuous rotation struggles pose a massive red flag for New York’s championship aspirations heading into October.

Cole’s struggles during the last couple of weeks

The right-hander has been hit hard in his recent outings, most notably surrendering back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches to open a start against the San Diego Padres.

While he managed to work seven innings in that contest, surrendering four total long balls highlighted an ongoing vulnerability with his four-seam fastball that opponents continue to punish with hard contact.

Beyond the sudden spikes in earned runs, Cole’s strikeout rate has experienced a noticeable decline, relying far more on contact than his typical swing-and-miss stuff.

What’s left in the Yankees’ rotation to face the postseason?

With an October berth all but locked up, the Yankees must urgently evaluate the rest of their pitching staff to build a viable postseason rotation. A combination of talent and good performances would help the rotation to be ready for the upcoming challenges ahead.

With Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, and Carlos Rodon anchoring the starting staff—alongside key depth and potential swingmen in Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, and Luis Gil—manager Aaron Boone faces crucial decisions on how to structure his staff for a deep playoff run.

Allowing a home run to Padres leadoff batter Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first inning was only the start of a historically bad beginning for Cole in the 2026 MLB season. The Yankees’ starter followed it up by giving up homers to Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado. The worst part of it was that it wasn’t the first time this happened to Cole, and thus he accomplished what no other starting pitcher in MLB history ever had.

“Gerrit Cole is the only pitcher in MLB history to allow back-to-back-to-back home runs to the first three batters of a game more than once in a career,” according to Talkin’ Baseball on X.

Last time Cole allowed three straight HRs to start a game

Although allowing home runs to the first three batters to start a game is rare on its own, it’s not unprecedented. However, doing so more than once is—or rather, was—until Cole accomplished the negative record during the Yankees’ series finale against the Padres.

The last time Cole had started a game by allowing three straight home runs was on June 9, 2022. Then, the Yankees’ starting pitcher allowed three straight home runs to Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa in the Minnesota Twins’ first three at-bats of the game. Cole’s night would be over after only 2.1 innings pitched, as he gave up five homers.

Cole’s abrupt ending saw him finish with eight hits allowed, seven earned runs, two bases on balls, three strikeouts, a 70-45 pitch-to-strike ratio, and a 3.63 ERA. Surprisingly enough, though, the Yankees ended up winning that game 10-7.

Cole’s pitching combinations in three straight home runs

With a 2-2 count, Cole served a knuckle curve right down the middle of the strike zone that Tatis Jr. connected with for a 371-foot homer. Against Cronenworth with a 2-1 count, Cole once again served a ball right down the middle of the zone, only this time it was a four-seam fastball, which the second baseman took 343 feet to the left side of the field.

Lastly, Machado’s home run came on another four-seam fastball, this time lower but still inside the strike zone and with a 2-2 count. Machado went yard with it, sending it 416 feet out to center.

With the trio of Bellinger, Stanton, and Judge out until further notice, the Yankees appear stuck in a Groundhog Day-like fate. Their latest outings look virtually indistinguishable from one another. New York’s pitching rotation looks dominant all game long, but the offense remains anemic, and eventually, a defensive breakdown decides the game. Sick and tired of watching this scenario unfold and determined not to let it linger any longer, Cole sent a strong message.

“We’re having a good time pitching and playing close games. Certainly we want to blow guys out and secure as many wins as possible,” Cole admitted, via the New York Post. “At the same time, we’re throwing the ball well, we’re playing good defense and we’re hanging in a lot of games, giving ourselves a chance to win.”

Cole calls out the offense

Obviously, Cole didn’t go as far as to throw his teammates under the bus. He didn’t need to, he still got his message across. It’s clear the subpar batting is costing New York in its race for postseason baseball, while the strong pitching is the main reason the Yankees are even in these games.

This topic is nothing new. Recently, manager Aaron Boone warned Jazz Chisholm Jr.—arguably the most disappointing Yankees batter during the 2026 MLB season—and even Chisholm Jr. was brutally honest about his at-bat struggles. As much as fans in the Bronx may want to use Jazz as a scapegoat, the problems in the batting order extend far beyond Chisholm Jr.

Clearly, and reasonably so, being without three of their most efficient and powerful bats (Bellinger, Judge, and Stanton) hurts. That’s still not an excuse strong enough for Boone and company to be complacent with the recent batting numbers. Empty at-bats and quiet innings continue to ruin otherwise great days and nights on the mound, and at some point, enough has to be enough, even without the three stars.

NY Yankees letting elite pitching go to waste

Cole didn’t name names or point fingers across the dugout, but he delivered a wake-up call regardless. The Yankees boast a Cy Young Award favorite in Cam Schlittler and arguably the best rotation in the American League.

Still, they have yet to firmly establish themselves as a playoff team in 2026. That’s mainly on the offense, as its production leaves much to be desired and has the red-hot pitchers scratching their heads.

After the game, Cole shared a simple but honest reaction about being back on the mound again. “It was lovely,” he said with a smile while reflecting on his long-awaited return, according to SNY.

The Yankees ace looked sharp throughout the outing, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and striking out two batters, with the team also preparing a potential role adjustment involving Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero. Cole also reached close to 99 mph with his fastball and generated several swings and misses during his 72-pitch performance.

Cole gives Yankees rotation major boost

Even though the Yankees could not hold the lead late in the game, Cole’s return was one of the biggest positives of the night for New York. “Really exciting to get him back and have him go out there,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “He was on point.”

Austin Wells provided the Yankees’ early offense with a solo home run, but Tampa Bay responded with a four-run eighth inning to take control and continue its strong recent run in the AL East.

Yankees hoping Cole changes division race

The Rays have now won eight of their last 10 games and sit 5.5 games ahead of New York in the division standings. Still, the Yankees believe Cole’s return could become a major turning point during the second half of the season.

For Cole, simply being back on a major league mound again carried special meaning after more than a year away from live MLB action. “It was almost like a second debut,” Cole said. “It was nice to get back in the fire.”

The Yankees are expected to activate both Cole and infielder José Caballero before Friday’s matchup with Tampa Bay. “I know he’ll definitely be amped up,” Aaron Judge said about Cole, according to MLB.com. “I think he’s just excited to get back on the mound and pitch in front of this fanbase.”

Jones appeared in 10 games during his first MLB stint after being called up earlier this month when Jasson Dominguez landed on the injured list. The 6-foot-7 outfielder hit .167 with two RBIs, three walks, and 12 strikeouts, while also recording his first stolen base in the majors during Thursday’s loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, coming a day after Jose Caballero offered a promising injury update.

Cole set for Yankees return after Tommy John surgery

Cole’s expected return marks a major moment for the Yankees rotation. The former Cy Young winner has not pitched in a major league game since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025.

The Yankees have managed to remain competitive despite several injuries throughout the pitching staff, but Cole’s return could provide a massive boost as New York continues battling near the top of the American League standings.

Manager Aaron Boone recently said Cole had checked “a lot of the boxes” during his rehab outings, including an encouraging final appearance in which his fastball reached nearly 100 mph.

Yankees continue evaluating outfield and infield depth

Jones’ demotion also comes as the Yankees continue sorting through several roster questions. Trent Grisham remains day to day with left knee inflammation, although imaging reportedly showed no structural damage.

Meanwhile, Caballero’s return adds more flexibility to the infield. Boone recently praised Anthony Volpe’s strong play at shortstop while also noting Caballero’s versatility remains valuable for the team moving forward.

“We’ll see,” Boone said before the Yankees faced the Toronto Blue Jays, according to ESPN. “We’re kind of talking about that here today, tomorrow, and we’ll make a call one way or the other.”

The Yankees improved to 29-19 after a 7-6 win over Toronto, while the Blue Jays fell to 21-26. With injuries continuing to affect the rotation, Cole’s return could give New York an important boost heading into a tough stretch of the season.

Cole getting close to Yankees comeback

Recent roster moves increased speculation that Cole could return this week. The Yankees optioned Elmer Rodriguez to Triple-A, leaving an open spot in the rotation for Friday’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“He looks really good,” Boone said. “His last start was mostly excellent.” The 35-year-old has posted a 5.28 ERA during rehab, but the Yankees have focused more on his velocity and pitch count as he builds back toward full strength.

Yankees rotation dealing with more injury concerns

Cole’s possible return comes at an important time for New York’s pitching staff. Max Fried recently went on the injured list with an elbow issue, while Carlos Rodon is still trying to regain consistency after returning earlier this month.

Even without Cole for most of the season, the Yankees rotation has remained one of the best in baseball. Boone said the right-hander has already checked many of the boxes needed before returning to MLB action. Whenever Cole officially returns, it will be his first major league appearance since Game 4 of the 2024 World Series.

Before that activation becomes a reality, Boone revealed that Cole must clear one final hurdle before officially taking the hill for the Yankees this season. The reigning Cy Young winner is scheduled to make one more rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to completely dial in his pitch count before the front office officially inserts him back into the major league rotation.

That final tune-up remains the definitive plan for Cole’s return to the Bronx. However, when asked if that timeline could fluctuate based on how the right-hander feels, Boone kept his options open, noting, “We’ll talk about it all,” leaving the door slightly ajar to either give his ace a bit more time or immediately slot him into an upcoming series.

Meanwhile, as the Yankees navigate their rotation shuffle, third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. emphasized that the clubhouse has no reason to panic over Carlos Rodon. While Rodon scuffled and made a few costly mistakes during his recent Subway Series outing, internal expectations remain incredibly high regarding what the left-hander will deliver in his upcoming starts.

Cole’s metrics through his Triple-A rehab assignment

The Yankees’ ace has looked sharp across his minor league appearances, putting up dominant metrics as he builds up his arm strength ahead of his big-league return. Here is a breakdown of his rehab performance so far:

Cole has put himself in a position to rejoin the big-league club sooner rather than later. With his return imminent, the Yankees are poised to welcome back a premier frontline ace who has historically anchored their pitching staff and served as the catalyst for deep postseason runs.